The day before..

It is the day before mid summers eve today.
We were discussing where the tradition came from originally, and this is what Wikipedia says:

In modern Sweden, Midsummer's Eve and Midsummer's Day (Midsommarafton and Midsommardagen) were formerly celebrated on June 23th and 24th, but since the 1950's on the Friday between June 19th and June 25th and the following Saturday. It is arguably the most important holiday of the year, and one of the most uniquely Swedish in the way it is celebrated, even if it has been influenced by other countries long ago. The main celebrations take place on the Friday, and the traditional events include raising and dancing around a huge maypole. One typical dance is the frog dance. Before the maypole is raised, greens and flowers are collected and used to cover the entire pole

Now I understand that non Swedish people wonders what on earth the frog dance is?
And most of all WHY do we dance around a pole, pretending to be frogs? (and sometimes pigs)
And the honest answer is: I don't know..Wikipedea doesn't write about that..
All I can think is that it stems from a children's song and someone put moves to the words when they was drunk ones....I really don't know..

So what else does Wikipedia say about this tradition we have in Sweden?

In earlier times, small spires wrapped in greens were erected; this probably predates the maypole tradition, which is believed by many to have come from the continent in the Middle Ages. Others argue that some form of Midsummer pole occurred in Sweden during the pre-Christian times, and was a phallic fertility symbol, meant to impregnate the earth, but as there were no records from those times it cannot be proven, and this idea might just be a modern interpretation of the poles form. The earliest historical mention of the maypole in Sweden is from the Middle Ages. Midsummer was, however, linked to an ancient fertility festival which was adapted into St. John's Day by the church, even though it retained many pagan traditions, as the Swedes were slow to give up the old heathen customs. The connection to fertility is naturally linked to the time of year. Many young people became passionate at Midsummer, and this was accepted, probably because it resulted in more childbirths in March which was a good time for children to be born.

Midsummer is one of the only pagan holidays that are still celebrated in Europe (if not the only). In Denmark and Norway it is referred to as the eve of St. Hans but it's only in Sweden that it has kept its original name.

I never picked 7 different flowers to put under my pillow, there are two reasons:
1) because I lived in a city and it would be difficult to find 7 different flowers that was allowed to be picked.
and
2) I didn't fancy any little bugs from the flowers in my bed.

As I moved to England, Midsummer was something I stopped celebrating unfortunately.
I was often working, and a few times when I tried to get a group together to celebrate and teach them the frog dance, but somehow I managed to make myself and my fellow swedes look quite stupid.
So this is the first time in 13 odd years that I am home in Sweden for Mid summers eve, I wont however be dancing around a maypole and I wont be eating herring.
I am working the night shift instead, to earn some money.
Next year will be different, if I don't get invited anywhere I will just gatecrash someone elses party.